title: Human sclera: thickness and surface area.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the mean thickness and surface area of human sclera.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five formalin-fixed eye bank eyes were hemisected from anterior to posterior. Cross-sectional slides were taken to include a millimeter scale ruler in each photograph. Slide photographs were projected and the scleral silhouette sketched. Mean scleral thickness measurements with standard deviation were obtained. Twenty-five human eye bank eyes were used to determine total scleral surface area by either a computerized tracing method (17 globes) or volumetric calculations (eight globes) using fluid displacement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean scleral thickness +/- SD was 0.53 +/- 0.14 mm at the corneoscleral limbus, significantly decreasing to 0.39 +/- 0.17 mm near the equator, and increasing to 0.9 to 1.0 mm near the optic nerve. The mean total scleral surface area by surface area computerized tracings was 16.3 +/- 1.8 cm2 and, by the volume displacement method, was 17.0 +/- 1.5 cm2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Scleral thickness and surface area measurements from cadaver eyes are important for ophthalmic surgeons and have implications for transscleral diffusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. olsen@eyesee.ophth.wisc.edu
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Aaberg
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Geroski
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Edelhauser
mesh_terms: D001830:Body Surface Area; D004058:Diffusion; D006801:Humans; D012590:Sclera / Q000033:anatomy & histology*